Melissa is the Manager of State Government Affairs at The 51 Group. She brings expertise in a wide variety of policy areas. Melissa spent her career in Virginia providing government affairs management on the state and local level with a focus on healthcare, human services, procurement, alcohol beverage control, business issues, and election policy.

Melissa comes to The 51 Group with nearly a decade of experience. She was previously the Executive Director of the Virginia Food Industry Association. In that role Melissa oversaw the management of the association and served as the primary lobbyist at the Virginia General Assembly. She was appointed as Deputy Legislative Director to Governor Ralph Northam and, prior to that, served as Policy Advisor to the Secretaries of Health and Human Resources, Administration, and Veterans and Defense Affairs in the Northam Administration.

Melissa has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin and a master’s degree from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). In addition, she received a Certificate of Nonprofit Management from VCU and is a graduate of the Political Leaders Program administered by The Sorenson Institute. Melissa currently lives in Richmond, Virginia where you can find her out on a run or walking her dog, Tahoe.